The invention relates to an image communication system which is used to transmit or receive an original in the form of an image through a telephone line, and in particular, to an image communication system which may be conveniently used to prepare a response to an image which has been transmitted from a mating system and which can be advantageously utilized in ordering goods, making a seat reservation of a traffic agency or making an enquete.
A facsimile equipment is available to perform an image communication. Briefly, a conventional facsimile equipment has the functions of reading an original in the form of an image and transmitting such information to a mating system, and of receiving and recording image information which has been transmitted from the mating system. An image reader and an image recorder are completely independent from each other. An original to be transmitted is placed on an original receptacle, and is discharged to an original discharge tray upon completion of the reading operation. A copy of the received image is discharged to a record paper tray.
Considering the reservation of a seat of a train, for example, it is necessary that various items of an application blank having a given format be filled out and deposited with a reservation center. Since it is advantageous to make such reservation as early an opportunity as possible, it is convenient if a reservation can be made by utilizing a telephone line or a facsimile equipment, without the trouble of going to the reservation center. A home reservation of the kind described is currently available by utilizing an on-line system such as CAPTAIN. However, this requires that the on-line system be provided with a reservation system at the location of the center while all customers (users) have a special terminal equipment in possession which can be connected with the system. If the format of the application blank must be updated even partly, the reservation system at the center must be changed, requiring a troublesome operation.
However, if a facsimile equipment is utilized, a home reservation is made possible without the trouble of going to the reservation center, by asking the center to transmit the application blank for purpose of reservation and filling it and transmitting it to the reservation center. Such system has a high level of universality since there is no need to change the hardware or software of the system if it is desired to change the format. In other words, such system can be utilized in various applications such as ordering goods, making a seat reservation of a traffic agency or making an enquete while retaining the same arrangement.
However, to make a home reservation utilizing a conventional facsimile equipment, a very troublesome operation is required as described below.
1. Dialing a telephone set to call a reservation center;
2. Receiving an image (an application blank of a given format) which is transmitted from the reservation center by means of a facsimile equipment;
3. Using a writing instrument to fill a hard copy of the received image representing the application blank; and
4. Dialing the telephone set again to transmit the image of the filled application form to the reservation center by means of the facsimile equipment. Such operation is very troublesome. In particular, where it is desired to make such a reservation by utilizing a facsimile equipment which is onboard an automobile, for example, a writing instrument or a hard underlay on which to fill out the application form may not be available, causing a great deal of trouble to complete the entry.